Elsewhere
by natory'sZone
Summary: At long last Shroud would see the Overworld after years of being trapped in the Nether and he had Aodh to thank. However a malfunction with the Nether portal sends the two to separate places. Just what happened to Aodh as Shroud found himself alone in the Overworld? The answers await... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...*Read Returning first or you'll be very confused!...
1. Ch1 Somewhere

Nothing... nothing disturbed the quiet peace of a plains biome and it's gentle hills without a building insight. remote as it was,however, the peace never lasts forever as the silence is scattered by the ominous noise of a portal. No portal appeared, but a lone minecraftian fell out of thin air from an area of empty space slightly tinted with purple. The minecraftian landed with an 'ooff' as he bent his knees upon hitting the ground.

relief did not cross this man's face as his bright golden eyes scanned his surrounding with worry.

"SHROUD!", the man hollered his companion's name hoping he wasn't far. "ARE YOU NEAR ME?!" He paused swiping some of his brown and red tinged hair from his face. He was hoping-PRAYING- that Shroud was alright and hadn't been trapped in the Nether as the portal broke. He had no way of knowing for sure, but he knew Shroud wasn't anywhere near where he was.

Aodh Rincaid knew Shroud couldn't be near him he just knew, but strangely he felt that his recent ally would be fine; he just had to be.

This didn't make Aodh any less worried as he brushed off some grass from his brown shirt only to realize he was without his iron sword, Old Faithful. Now Aodh was more nervous as being without any good weapon of sorts made him an easy target for bandits. He could only hope that Shroud had Old Faithful, a sword that Aodh cherished greatly as an old friend of his had gave it to him...

A friend he could never seem to find...

Aodh banished the thought and headed north hoping to find something to lead him to a town to get an idea as to where he was.

Before he left though, Aodh rapidly dug into the ground with his fist and then with his stone pickaxe when he hit stone before taking the cobblestone he mined and making a stone sword to defend himself with and a new pickaxe. Now a bit more confident, he headed out to find some town.

all throughout the remainder of the day, Aodh traveled north and soon enough the sun began to hover over the horizon as Aodh found a gravel road stretching from west to east to unknown destinations. Aodh quickly decided to head east and didn't bother to settle down for the night since most other people slept during the night and the fact Aodh wasn't afraid of mobs; he could take care of mobs easily, but hostile minecraftians not so much.

However, not even an hour goes by when Aodh hears feet falling rapidly on the gravel. He whips around swiftly and holds his sword out only to see someone fall flat on their face trying to slow down to avoid being impaled by Aodh's stone sword. Aodh lowered his sword and took in the mans appearance in the dim light provided by the full moon.

He was an average looking person with brown frizzled hair and a green shirt with a smiley face on the back and wore some faded dark-blue jeans. When the man looked up with fear in his grey-blue eyes, Aodh realized this man meant no harm and was only scared out of his wits. Had the man had armor on Aodh would of thought differently.

"P-please! d-don't hurt me! I'm o-only passing through." The man squeaked out in fear. Aodh shook his head lightly before replying to the nervous man.

"Lad, I wouldn't dream of hurting yer and I'm just passing through as well looking for the nearest town. So come on, get up lad and tell me who are you?" Aodh asked calmly, easing the scared man's nerves.

"Thank Notch you're not a bandit or a griefer... My name's Bret. sorry if I seem overly-jumpy to you... kinda came out of a crisis a few days ago...um.. mister...?" Bret sighed with relief as he explained himself to Aodh.

"No worries lad, everyone has their bad days. My name's Aodh and it's just Aodh, no 'mister' in front of it." Aodh told the young man in front of him. "how about we bunker down fer the night and we can travel together to ... whatever town's is east of here."

"oh thank you kind sir! I would like that very much! having another person with me will definitely ease my worry off of bandits and... the town closest to here is Kettil." Bret happily thanked Aodh before the two of them dug down next to a oak tree and making a spacious well-lit room to house the both of them for the night.

Aodh pondered a bit before drifting off to sleep at what had happened to Bret as he saw Bret scribble down something in his book. However, he decided to ask the next day so that Bret would be more rested and most likely more able to answer properly. Also, thanks to Bret Aodh knew where he was in the Overworld.

Aodh's hometown Glenn happened to be a few days walk from Kettil and although he was worried at what had become of his hometown after the raid, Aodh wouldn't abandoned the man he just met. As for the city they were heading to, it had the nickname of the city of magic. Kettil happened to be a great place to stop by to get enchanted gear and potions and the city itself had a world-guard on it so no griefers could destroy the city. It also happened to be relatively close to a few other towns besides Glenn, namely Gorge...

...and Rhagall.

**A/N yes, this is going to be a separate/parallel story following Aodh from where he ended up and what happened to him when the portal was destroyed in chapter 10 of Returning. This story will continue until he rejoins with Shroud some time in the future. enjoy! ^^**


	2. Ch2: Kettil

The next morning came quickly for Aodh and Bret as they began making their way to Kettil. As the two travelled they shared stories about what they were doing before they ran into each other though they remained alert for danger.

"And that's how I ended up 'ere Bret." Aodh finished telling his tale of his adventures in the Nether with Shroud.

"interesting, but um... where is your friend?" Bret asked while scanning their surroundings relentlessly.

"dunno... The blast from that a'cursed ghast broke the portal. I can only hope that Shroud made it to the Overworld like me, but just elsewhere." Aodh explained before his eyes widened and he grabbed Bret and quickly hid him and Bret behind a tree. Before Bret could asked anything, Four diamond-clad minecraftians dashed past all yelling such things as 'time to RAID!' or 'burn ALL THE BLOCKS!'

Aodh's faced scrunched up in disgust and befuddlement as he despised people like them who ruin everyone's day, but confused as the four people rushing by wore wither skeleton heads and only wielded stone swords. after several minutes after they disappeared, Aodh released his hold on Bret and observed their surroundings before turning to Bret.

"Lad, do ya know who those men were?" Aodh calmly questioned Bret despite just dodging a serious danger. Bret however, shook like a leave in a hurricane.

"I-I b-believed they called themselves Stone-edged... I d-don't much about t-them though." Bret shakily squeaked out. Aodh nodded as the word Stone-edge filtered through his mind. He had meet this group before as they were the same group who had attacked Glenn before he met Shroud. However, he knew for sure that they never wore wither heads before having pounded a few of their faces in while defending his home-town. He also remembered that the group had once only consisted of three members a couple of months back, but now there were much more.

"Stone-edge... I've heard of 'em, but... why have their numbers swelled so much in so little time?" Aodh said to himself more than to Bret.

"Well I-I have heard rumors of the admins striping loads of God items off of them... maybe the lure of over-powered weapons has something to do with it?" Bret informed Aodh as the two decided to begin walking towards Kettil again.

"I've meet the three original members and they were nothing but twits. They couldn't even figure out how to make a crafting table for crying out loud!" Aodh questions harshly, but quietly as not to chance his luck.

"hmm... Maybe they got outside help?" Bret suggested, but Aodh shook his head in disbelief as he knew how the original three had no charm to weasel someone into giving them items. They were too blunt and too direct for such a thing.

'_I might have underestimated them slightly it seems or... maybe..'_ Aodh thought though he wasn't sure what the 'maybe' could be if it existed.

"aaagg- Let's drop the thought for now. In the meantime, what adventures did ya have before all this?" Aodh asked, changing the subject until he could find somewhere safer to think to himself.

"Oh! well, not a very pleasant one that's for sure. My town got completely trashed by some mobs you see and i had to flee for my life as the town became overwhelmed with them." Bret started as he tried to form his thoughts into words.

"Go on." Aodh urged Bret to continue.

"It was one of the new mobs... the witch i believe, but they're supposed to be loners so we were unprepared for their attack and... and they destroyed everything with acid!" Bret told Aodh who walked next to him.

"Doesn't your town have a world-guard on it? It shouldn't have been grief-able." Aodh inquired with confusion. "And what's your town's name anyway?"

"No... Our town- Haven- didn't have that protection as it's not one of the official towns and it's barely known by anyone since it is- or was- hidden deep with a jungle biome with only a few dozen players living there." Bret explained to Aodh who scratched his head in confusion since even he hadn't known of Haven though he traveled much of the area for most of his life.

"Hmm... well we can talk more about everything once we arrive at Kettil which should be- ah ha!" Aodh said as the large town of Kettil came into view with its elegant, wood and white-wooled buildings towering over everything below. However one building in particular towered over all the other buildings and that was the Grand Academy of Teachings. Many minecraftians went there to study all aspects of minecraftia, but mostly of magic and potion-crafting. However, the stone-brick building also taught classes for those who wanted to become admins; many fail and only less than fifty capable admins-to-be graduate yearly compared to the thousands who attend.

Aodh chuckled to himself as Bret and him enter through the secure gate-way into the town. Years back when Aodh had first arrived in Kettil to obtain a blaze rod or two, one of the three head masters of the Academy had observed his actions around the market and offered him a spot in one of the admin classes saying 'You have all of the perfect qualities of an experienced admin by the way you talk and take action to certain situations.'

Aodh had declined much to the absolute surprise of the head-master since most people would die for such a position. However, Aodh knew a thing or two about the job of admins and how everyone else (mostly newbies) pestered them with questions and shoved their problems into the admins hands. Aodh didn't want to have to deal with that even if he'd of gain access to powerful commands.

The two past by the same spot where that moment took place years ago and walked into a tavern by the name 'Farlanders-Tale'. This place was a common area Aodh found himself in as the place offered rooms for travelers and as usual he took a seat in a secluded area that few noticed.

"So what now?" Bret spoke up once the two had gotten comfortable at their wooden table.

"I've been thinking... There are many towns 'ere and they're pretty far apart from each other. So i thought we'd could split up and-" Aodh began to explain to Bret who became frantic.

"b-b-but I don't want to g-go alone! a-and-" Bret whispered to Aodh desperately. Aodh shh-ed him by holding up his hand as a signal for Bret to be quiet.

"I know you're afraid of bandits and i have a friend or two in the city who could accompany you so you won't be alone." Bret visibly calmed down as Aodh spoke. "And you're going to go to Rhagall where they are far less people passing through than where I'm going."

"Okay, thanks... so where are you going?" Bret said with relief and curiosity flowing out of him like a turbulent river.

"No problem, lad and I'm going to Glenn, but as for now we shall rest 'til the sun rises once more."


	3. Ch3 Ealish

Rays of sunlight filtered through the small room Aodh and Bret had rented for the night. Aodh managed to rent said room since Farlanders-Tale kept an Enderchest near the front door and so he was able to pull out a few iron ingots to pay off the rent. He even use some of the items he retrieved from the Enderchest to better arm himself and Bret.

Aodh didn't have much in the Enderchest, but managed to give Bret and himself iron swords. It wouldn't be much against Stone Edge with their diamond armor and all so Aodh knew they needed to get to one of his long time friends' homes for a bit of help.

"So who is this person who's going to travel with me to Rhagall?" Bret asked as the two exited the inn and walked down the wide cobblestone road. Aodh thought for a moment as there were in fact two people he knew in town who might help, but one of them traveled a lot and so Aodh doubted that they'd be home today; so he decided on his second option.

"An old lass I've known fer some time; her name is Ealish, she'll help ya 'long the way." Aodh replied as the two continued forward through the streets as they passed many minecraftians of many appearances. When Aodh turned to see Bret's reaction he wasn't quite prepared for the barely concealed expression of shock.

"Bret. Don't be a fool." Aodh said with a hint of annoyance as he smacked Bret atop of his head in disapproval.

"OW! wh- but...but you said HER! as in a gir-" Bret started before getting hit on the head again by Aodh.

"And I say SHE will be more than helpful to you as SHE'S been able to defeat four people by HERself with just HER fists." Aodh scowled at Bret who held his head in a bit of pain and nodded reluctantly. Aodh shook his head in disapproval before picking up his pace.

It wasn't long before the two arrived at a small home near the edge of town. Aodh walked up to the door and knocked knowing fully well that the doors in this part of the world had a magical lock that wouldn't budge if someone it considered a stranger tried to open it. Let's just say Ealish keep this door locked to pretty much everyone.

Mere moments go by before the door opens to reveal a woman who must've been well into her late 30's or early 40's. Her hair already had white streaks coming in where once they were a rich brown. Many people who first meet her think she's blind as her eyes are a light blue; however this is not the case.

"Oh Aodh! I haven't seen you in quite some time! come in and your friend too." Ealish greeted cheerily to the two as they walked past the door's threshold into her home. Most people would think someone of her age would have settled down and have a cozy home. Besides the living room and the lone bedroom, everything else had a bit of a cold feeling to it and Aodh knew other sections of the home were more so than others.

"So what brings you to my place today Aodh?' Ealish said as she sat down on one of her wooden chairs and picked up a book that had fallen on the ground.

"Well, Bret here is _nervous_ about traveling to Rhagall by himself and I was hoping if you would escort him there to ease his nerves since I have another errand to do." Aodh said in a straight-forward manner since he knew Ealish didn't like those who wasted time spewing nonsense.

Ealish paused in thought as she placed her book titled 'Legends of Minecraft: The Red Dragon' on her table. Aodh knew she understood his words secret meaning when he mentioned the word 'nervous'. Basically, Aodh was hinting at Bret being a newbie in the region.

"Well then, I'll go get some supplies for the journey ahead. Why don't you have a bit of milk, Bret?" Despite the obvious kindness seeping out of her voice, Aodh knew that to mess with her meant death in most cases and poor Bret was going to get a bit of surprise in a second.

In the meantime, Bret accepted her offer of milk and started to drink as Ealish went downstairs. Aodh followed Ealish into her basement once he saw Bret relax enough.

_'Poor lad doesn't know what Ealish does when she's traveling with someone new.'_ Aodh chuckled to himself as he thought about Ealish's little tests. However, her tests also made him a little uneasy as if Bret failed to pass her standards, she'll deny traveling with him.

"So Aodh, what's this 'errand' you have to do?" Aodh barely flinched, but his heart did beat a little faster at suddenly hearing Ealish's voice. Ealish continued shifting around stuff in her one chest in the corner as she waited for a reply.

"Well technically, Its both Bret's and my errand,but lad's too scared to go by himself..." Aodh paused as he caught himself blathering about something else and decided to answer Ealish's question before she got impatient. "Anyway, we're looking for a friend of mine."

Instantly, Ealish stopped her work and looked at Aodh with a 'you got to be kidding me.' face.

"Not that friend..." Aodh cleared up what he knew she was thinking. "A different friend, one I just met not too long ago. We got separated and I want to make sure he's okay."

"New or Old, what's so important about him? Why do you bother chasing after people who are most likely dead?" Aodh winced a bit at the blunt insult, but put up a determine face in less than a second.

"The Followers are after him." Aodh said as he glared towards Ealish. Her reaction came instantly, a look mixed with surprise and fear as she spun around quickly to stare at Aodh.

"Why would they be after him?" Ealish spoke in a hushed tone as if the whole world was listening in on their conversation.

"I'm not entirely sure, but he looks more like a mob than a minecraftian and he was showing those "symptoms" you told me about." Aodh explained as he continued to stare down at Ealish. She slowly looked away as she pondered and muttered to herself. Before either one could continue the talk, Bret came barging downstairs with an empty bucket.

"Thanks for the milk Ealish! you can have your bucket back and umm..." Bret started before confusion and unease crossed his young face. "Did I came between something?"

"No no... I was just about to go get you for a small trial." Ealish quickly said as she grab a wooden sword out of the chest and tossed it over to Bret.

Bret fumbled with the sword for a bit before regaining his senses and gripping the sword firmly. Confusion remained on his face for a split second until terror rapidly replaced it.

"oh no no NO!" Bret shrieked as Ealish pulled a lever and revealed a hidden room; more importantly, it was a fighting arena. Ealish simply nodded her head towards the entrance.

"Sorry lad, but Ealish does this to new people; even me when i first met her." Aodh sighed in pity for Bret as his eyes retained a look of fear. "Don't worry she won't kill ya."

All three eventually hustled inside the hidden room filled with all sorts of obstacles with fire decorating most of the stone-brick room. Bret silently walked up to the center of the ring and looked back expecting Ealish to follow.

she did not.

"Before a minecraftian fights another person, they fight mobs and so you'll be fighting Scott for round one." Ealish said with a smile as she pulled another lever which opened yet another door. Out from the shadows appeared a skeleton with a brown cloak draped over his dead shoulders.

Aodh stared at "Scott" in surprise as he had never met him before and soon turned to Ealish with a slight accusing glare in his worried eyes. Ealish simply whispered _'I'll explain later' _to Aodh as she sat down on one of the chairs nearby.

Bret eyes locked with Scott's black eye sockets until Scott made a quick lunge to a platform and began firing off arrows at Bret. Barely dodging the first wave of arrows, Bret ducked behind a small wall.

"The first round is about dodging attacks! You'll win if you don't get hit once in two minutes." Ealsih shouted to Bret who glanced at her before squeaking in fear once he noticed Scott had leaped on top of the wall he was hiding behind. Bret rolled out of the way of the incoming arrow and then used the wooden sword to swipe another arrow away.

Aodh could only watched in disbelief as the two opponents played their game of cat and mouse.


End file.
